LEGAMON: You Must Acquire Them

LEGAMON! You Must Acquire Them (Original Series Theme Song)

I want to be the very best, above the world's law,
To acquire them is my sole quest, then teach them to make war... LEGAMON!

I will explore far-flung locales, find all that's hidden
Seek Legamon! And cultivate, the strengths they hide within...

LEGAMON! (You must acquire them)

LEGAMON! You'll fight for me! It's your one true destiny!
LEGAMON! Oh, I'm your best friend, 'til my death, you will defend...

LEGAMON! (You must acquire them)

Oh, I feel so free! Your powers win victory!
Nothing can stand in our way! LE-GA-MON... You must acquire them! (You must acquire them) LEGAMON!

by DevilDman on deviantart

Hello there and welcome to the world of LEGAMON! I'm Professor Lichen, and I'm an expert on the creatures that inhabit these lands. They're called legamon - that's short for "legally distinct monsters", due to a nasty copyright dispute between various explorers that initially laid claim to this region. For some, legamon are pets. Others use their immense power to help them work. Myself, I study legamon as a profession, because there's vast amounts of grant money in learning to weaponi- sorry, harness, their unique and fascinating abilities!

 

Links to other Legamon posts

deus ex parabola started this whole craze. It's their fault. Blame them.

Phlox automated deus' legamon generator!

liches get stitches has another generator, with virtues and vices to generate 'mon personalities

Phlox also wrote on the faiths of the legamon world, and a local translation of the song

SunderedGM has compiled a list of other legamon posts

I was writing 'mon before it was cool - here's my old trainer class

by DevilDman on deviantart

Legamon Battles

I'm sure you're interested in joining the legamon battling scene. I know I was, as a young one - there's leagues for children as young as ten! It's the biggest sport around here, and it's great training for when you'll need to go out into the wilds and defend yourself from feral legamon. They really seem to dislike us. Can't imagine why - maybe you'll discover it on your adventures!

 

Sanctioned combat between legamon is typically 1v1 with teams of up to 6 and to-exhaustion, though trainers often invent new modes of battle on their own, and doubles matches have gained popularity in recent years. Of course, in the wilds, anything goes.

 

In a round, the 'mon with the highest Speed goes first. On a tie, flip a coin. On a 'mon's turn, it saves vs. status effects (trainer's choice of order if it's saving against multiple), then it gets to make one move of its trainer's choice. The trainer may alternatively change their active 'mon or use an item on their 'mon, but forgoes the ability for their 'mon to use a move. Once all 'mon have taken their turns, a new round starts, and compare Speeds again to see who goes first in the new round.

'mon types are also damage types. Attacks are either Physical (roll d20+Attack vs. target's AC) or Status (target rolls d20+Save vs. attacker's Save DC). Level 1 Legamon deal d6 damage with their Physical attacks, Level 2 deal 2d6, Level 3 deal 3d6.

#0XX Geisticle, the Icicle Legamon (Ghost/Ice). Level 1. Evolutions unknown.

The spirit of a fallen Legamon, frozen to death on the side of the never-summited Mt. Colossus. It haunts the slopes, ambushing foolhardy climbers in the hopes of making more Geisticles.
1 Hit Die (5 Health), 0 Speed, 0 Armor (10 Armor Class), 3 Save (13 Save Target), 1 Attack, 2 Power Dice.
Physical Attack: Ice. Status Attack: Ghost (Curse). Ability: Ambush. Takes the first turn in round 1 regardless of Speed.
Special Move: FROSTBITE (Ice, Status): Target saves against its blood freezing in its veins. If it fails, it's unable to use Status attacks without taking sum ice damage until it saves against this effect.

Level represents the stage a 'mon is on its evolutionary path. 'mon have level*5 points to spend among Hit Dice, Speed, Armor, Save, Attack, Power Dice; and have one Special Move per level. Hit Dice and Power Dice both start equal to the 'mon's level before adding points; the rest start at 0. Can't go above Level 3. 'mon level up and evolve into a new form when you've achieved a significant emotional bond or milestone with them - don't track XP. Perhaps one of the techniques listed here may aid you in your quest.

 

Types determines a 'mon's strengths, resistances, and immunities. Resistances halve damage (round up) and give you advantage on saves against moves of that type and status moves, Strengths doubles your damage against 'mon of that type and give enemy disad on saves. Using a Strong move against a 'mon that resists it deals normal damage with no advantage or disadvantage. If a 'mon has two types that give the same Strength, its moves deal an extra level damage. If a 'mon has two types that give it the same Resistance, it can add level to its AC and Saves against moves of that type.

 

Each type also has an associated status effect. For status effects, level is always the level of the inflicting 'mon. Damage dealt by status effects is assumed to be the same type as the type of the inflicting move – which may not always be the same as the type the status is normally associated with! A Grass-type move inflicting the Bug status Bound will deal Grass damage when the target struggles.

    
Hit Dice is the 'mon's overall hardiness. Multiply by 5 to get Health. When reduced to 0 Health, the 'mon loses all its will to fight. At negative max health, the 'mon is killed.
Speed. Higher speed moves first in round. On a tie, flip a coin.
Armor. Armor Class is 10+Armor.
Save. Add this to Save rolls to resist Status attacks and shake off Status effects. 10+Save is the 'mon's Save Target, the static difficulty other 'mon need to tie or beat to avoid the status.
Attack. Add this to Physical attack and special move rolls to hit.
Power Dice. d6s, function like GLOG magic dice - spend any number of Power Dice to use a move and roll them. Any dice on a 3 or less return to your PD pool.

 

'mon all have a basic Physical attack that inflicts their damage type and a basic Status attack that forces save vs. the type's associated status. If a mon has two types, pick one for the physical attack and one for the status attack - these must be different types.

 

'mon may also each have a passive Ability that reflects their unique advantages and place in the ecosystem.

 

Special Moves cost Power Dice to use and are statted like GLOG spells. dice is the number of PD spent on the move; sum is the total of all the rolled dice; highest is the highest result on any individual rolled die; lowest is the lowest result on same. Special moves can inflict damage and status types that don't correspond to the 'mon's types, and provide interesting new tools. Special moves are categorized as physical if they involve an attack roll or dealing direct damage, or status if they force a 'mon to make a save, but might have interesting new types if they buff the 'mon that uses them, allow for new movement types, change the battlefield's terrain, or have solely out of combat uses.

It is unknown which 'mon can learn which moves, though not all moves are available to all 'mon, and there is no centralized or comprehensive list of moves. New techniques are being developed and discovered by enterprising legamon trainers every day!

Legamon Types

Normal. Status: Taunt. Taunted 'mon can only use its basic Physical moves, not status or special moves. Save each round, end condition on success.

Immune to Ghost.

Fire. Status: Burning. Burning 'mon saves each round. On a failure, take level +1 fire damage. On a success, end the condition.

Strong vs. Grass, Ice, Bug, Steel. Resist Fire, Grass, Ice, Steel, Fairy.
 

Grass. Status: Drain. Drained mon saves each round, on a failure, take level grass damage and opposing 'mon restores level health. End condition on success.

Strong vs. Water, Ground, Rock. Resist Water, Electric, Grass, Ground, Steel.
 

Water. Status: Drench. Reduce drenched 'mon's highest stat (except Hit Dice) to amount of lowest stat. Save each round, end condition on success.

Strong vs. Fire, Ground, Rock. Resist Fire, Water, Ice, Steel.
 

Electric. Status: Paralyze. Save each round. On a failed save, skip turn and end the condition.

Strong vs. Water, Flying. Resist Electric, Flying, Steel.
 

Rock. Status: Entomb. Entombed 'mon automatically fails on all saves besides saves against this status. Save each round, condition ends on a successful save.

Strong vs. Fire, Ice, Ground, Bug. Resist Normal, Fire, Poison, Flying.
 

Ground. Status: Sandblast. Halve sandblasted 'mon's Armor Class. Save each round, end condition at the end of a round where the save is a success.

Strong vs. Fire, Electric, Ground, Rock, Steel. Resist Poison, Rock. Immune to Electric.
 

Ice. Status: Freeze. Frozen 'mon can't use damaging attacks or moves. Save each round, end condition on success.

Strong vs. Grass, Ground, Flying, Dragon. Resist Ice.
 

Steel. Status: Trapped. Trapped 'mon can't switch out. Save each round, end condition on success.  

Strong vs. Ice, Rock, Fairy. Resist Normal, Grass, Ice, Flying, Psychic, Bug, Rock, Dragon, Steel, Fairy. Immune to Poison.
 

Flying. Status: Knockdown. Knocked down 'mon goes last next round regardless of Speed.

Strong vs. Grass, Poison, Bug. Resist Grass, Fighting, Bug.
 

Fighting. Status: Stagger. Staggered 'mon loses access to a Power Die. Save each round, end condition on success. 'Mon may skip turn to remove this condition.

Strong vs. Normal, Rock, Steel, Ice, Dark. Resist Bug, Rock, Dark.
 

Poison. Status: Poisoned. Each round, take level poison damage, then save. On a success, take level poison damage again, then end the condition.

Strong vs. Grass, Fairy. Resist Grass, Fighting, Poison, Bug, Fairy.
 

Bug. Status: Bind. Bound 'mon has its Attack bonus reduced to 0 and takes level bug damage when attacking. Save each round, end condition on success.

Strong vs. Grass, Psychic, Dark. Resist Grass, Fighting, Ground.
 

Psychic. Status: Confused. Save each round. On a failed save, deal attack damage to self (modified by own strengths and resistances) and end this condition.

Strong vs. Fighting, Poison. Resist Fighting, Psychic.
 

Dark. Status: Flinch. Flinching 'mon can't make basic attacks next turn.

Strong vs. Psychic, Rock. Resist Ghost, Dark. Immune to Psychic.
 

Ghost. Status: Curse. Whenever a cursed 'mon deals damage, it takes that much Ghost-type damage. Save each round, end condition on success.

Strong vs. Psychic, Ghost. Resist Poison, Bug. Immune to Normal, Fighting.
 

Dragon. Status: Crush. Crushed 'mon's AC becomes equal to its Armor next round (instead of 10+Armor).

Strong vs. Dragon. Resist Fire, Water, Grass, Electric.
 

Fairy. Status: Charm. Charmed 'mon can't use damaging moves on the charmer. Save each round, end condition on success. Condition ends if charmer deals damage to charmed 'mon.

Strong vs. Fighting, Ghost, Dragon. Resist Fighting, Bug, Dark. Immune to Dragon.

The Legadex

Here's a mostly empty codex to start you on your adventure, and a starter legamon! I have three here that I've finished all my testing on, you're free to take whichever one you like best. They might be a little banged up, but take them to your local Legamon Clinic and you'll be able to get them right back into the action (so long as you've paid up with their subscription service).

#001: Elephruit, the Fruit Trunk Legamon (Grass). Level 1. Evolves into Mastoak.

A tough, stocky legamon with fanlike leaves for ears and a long trunk covered in bark and branches. It loves berries, and can't wait until its trunk is in season to fruit.
2 Hit Dice (10 Health), 0 Speed, 4 Armor (14 Armor Class), 0 Save (10 Save Target), 0 Attack, 1 Power Die.
Physical Attack: Grass. Status Attack: Grass (Drain). Ability: Gourmet. Regains level extra Health from heal effects, including Drain.
Special Move: SEED CANNON (Grass, Physical): Make sum attacks against the target. Each attack that hits deals grass damage equal to the number of attacks that have hit (1, then 2, then 3, etc).

 

#002: Mastoak. [NO FURTHER DATA]

 

#003: [NO DATA]

 

#004: Jellobe, the Deep Thinker Legamon (Water). Level 1. Evolves into Zoalobe.

A globule of transparent aqua jelly with a pink brain visible inside. It elevates itself and walks around on five stubby tendrils of the same gel. The brain is small, but its many wrinkles reveal that it's highly intelligent.

1 Hit Die (5 Health), 2 Speed, 0 Armor (10 Armor Class), 2 Save (12 Save Target), 0 Attack, 2 Power Dice.
Physical Attack: Water. Status Attack: Water (Drench). Ability: Forethought. +level Save in rounds it goes first.
Special Move: LULLABY (Psychic, Status): Target saves vs. sleep. A sleeping 'mon can't use moves. Wears off on save or when switched out.

 

#005: Zoalobe. [NO FURTHER DATA]

 

#006: [NO DATA]

#007: Scinder, the Fire Bellied Legamon (Fire). Level 1. Evolves into Scindwurm.

A slinky, scaled legamon that's warm to the touch. When it opens its mouth, it glows with fiery embers. Its six short legs have thick claws for digging, and it likes to spend cold nights buried in sun-warmed dirt.

1 Hit Die (5 Health), 1 Speed, 2 Armor (12 Armor Class), 0 Save (10 Save Target), 2 Attack, 1 Power Die.
Physical Attack: Fire. Status Attack: Fire (Burning). Ability: Heated Body. 'mon that hit this 'mon with physical attacks take level damage.
Special Move: BURROW (Ground, Movement): Burrow below the ground for up to dice rounds. Can't attack or be targeted by attacks while burrowing. When emerging from the earth at the start of a round, clear all status effects.

 

#008: Scindwurm. [NO FURTHER DATA]

 

#009: [NO DATA]

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

#???: Name, the MISSING DATA Legamon (Type). Level L. Evolutions unknown. 

Legamon description goes here 

X Hit Dice (X*5 Health), Y Speed, Z Armor (10+Z Armor Class), S Save (10+S Save Target), T Attack, P Power Dice.
Physical Attack: Type. Status Attack: Type (Status). Ability: Name. Text.
Special Move: NAME (Type, Physical/Status): Text.

Magic: the GLOGthering

I got back into Magic: the Gathering recently, and remembered that 5e did a massive hack job of converting MtG settings into D&D content. It doesn't let me use actual Magic cards to play the game! I have to stick to D&D's schools and spells, and can't ruin my enemy's whole day with a well-aimed Thoughtseize or Sword of Feast and Famine. So I'm taking matters into my own GLOGgy hands and writing a class that lets you do exactly that - a set of guidelines for converting printed magic cards into effects parseable in a tabletop format. Build a deck from your collection, bring it to the game, and play the actual cards.

 

This system makes more powerful characters than your average GLOG, and at some point you do essentially become a god. Once you've turned the dungeon's final boss into paste with Vintage Dredge, Affinity, or Stax, the GM has license to loose Nicol Bolas, the Eldrazi, Slivers, and/or Phyrexia on your local plane of existence.

Gatherer 

Hit Die: d6

Starting Equipment: 10 card deck (represented by a physical item, potentially a spellbook, an elaborate tattoo, or an actual deck of cards), clothing in your colors of mana.

Skills: Gambling, pick another skill based on your magical expertise.

Level 1: 10 card deck, limit 3, Perk
Level 2: 20 card deck, limit 5, Perk, +1 Hit Die
Level 3: 40 card deck, limit 7, Perk, +1 Hit Die
Level 4: 60 card deck, limit 7, Expert Perk
Level 5+: Perk or Expert Perk or +1 Hit Die.

 

When building your initial deck, you may play 1 rare, up to 3 different unique uncommons (no duplicates), and the rest must be common cards or basic lands. GM can veto card choices - as a general rule, stay away from cards that've been banned in Eternal formats (so, Vintage/Legacy/Modern).

When your deck size expands on level-up, increase its size by adding extra copies of your cards (up to 4 of any particular card).

When you obtain experience or treasure, you may acquire a card related to the deed that won you that reward. When you acquire a new card, you can add it to your deck and displace a card in your deck into your collection, or scribe the new spell directly into your collection. You can change your deck up with cards from your collection in town, but not during adventures - changes made on the road stay made. You can always add more basic lands to your deck, but only if you've visited and gained experience in that environment. You're assumed to have already done that for the basic lands already in your deck.

Playing Magic

To wield your phenomenal magic, you may draw on your power and draw a hand of cards from your deck. On your turn, you may take actions to play cards from your hand. Playing a card takes an action, activating an ability takes an action, commanding a creature takes an action. You can only play one land per turn unless a card says otherwise. Creatures can only be commanded once per turn. A command consists of a move and/or an attack - if it attacks, it's tapped. As a reaction to an attack that targets you, you can direct your untapped creatures to block it if they're adjacent to you or between you and the attack. The attack automatically hits them and they take the damage.

Your limit determines the maximum number of lands you may have in play, the maximum number of nonland permanents you may have in play, and both your maximum and starting hand size. It starts at 3 for 1st level Gatherers, and when you play a card past your limit, you must sacrifice a card in play to get back down to your limit. Tokens count towards your limit.

At the end of a dungeon turn (approximately 10 minutes), your power fades. Shuffle your hand back into your deck, and put all permanents you control into your graveyard. Your graveyard and exiled cards only get shuffled back in after a long rest - you don't lose when you try to draw from an empty library, but when you get decked, you'll be easy prey until you rest. If you draw on your power when you aren't in immediate danger, you can arbitrarily cast spells from your deck, but these spells will still go to your graveyard.

 

Converting Cards

Creatures have Hit Dice equal to to their toughness and AC equal to 8+toughness. Damage dealt or life lost is converted to damage dice: 1 = 1d4, 2 = 1d6, 3 = 1d8, 4 = 1d10, 5 = 1d12, 6 = 2d6, 7 = 2d8, 8 = 2d10, 9 = 2d12, etc - upgrade the damage die size for every point of power, every time you get to d12, return to d6 and add an extra die. Creatures can't be commanded on the same turn they're summoned. Move is whatever makes sense based on the creature, and abilities are ruled by the GM.

Some conversions of common keywords:
Flying, Literally just flies.

Trample. Attacks everything it moves over; splits damage between them.

Vigilance. Doesn't tap to attack.

Lifelink. Heals itself equal to the amount of damage it deals.

Deathtouch. Forces anyone damaged by it to save vs. dying (use your save DC).

Hexproof. Can't be directly targeted by enemy spells.

Haste. Can be commanded on the same turn it's summoned. Double its move.

First strike. At the start of the round, you may spend an action to command it.

Double strike. At the start of the round, you may spend an action to command it. May be commanded twice per round.

Reach. Can attack/block things in the air from the ground.

Menace. Can attack two creatures within range at once; splits damage equally between them.

Flash. You can save an action to cast this at any time.

Unblockable. Can't be attacked directly in mundane ways except by creatures it's attacked this turn.

Defender. Can't attack.

Prowess. Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.

 

Noncreature spells are ruled based on the GM's interpretation of their effects. All destructive effects besides damage (destroy, exile, counter, mind-controlling effects, etc) require a save; Save DCs are 5 times the caster's level; capped at 20. Damaging spells require an attack roll.

 

Destroy effects set the target to 0 HP. Exile effects remove the target from existence until your power fades. Counterspells let you counter an action; countering a creature lets you counter non-attack actions, countering noncreature spells let you counter attacks. Spells that target players can only target living beings with minds, spells that target creatures can target anything in the game world. If a spell cares about the color of its target, there are ample examples of the colors of various fantasy beings in the vast library of extant Magic cards.

 

Lifegain and life payment applies to you in the same numbers it does on the card; any life over your starting HP disappears when your power fades.

 

For effects that require other characters who don't use this system to pay mana (such as Propaganda or Mana Leak), assume they have access to mana equal to twice their Hit Dice, and it can be of any colors they are.

 

Effects that require other characters to have cards (in their hand, in their deck, etc) treat specific actions that NPC can take as different cards. Discarding a card may involve dropping a weapon, forgetting a spell, or finding themselves unable to move or speak for a turn. Mill effects may involve the NPC forgetting recent memories or skills.

 

Effects that refer to a creature's controller hit the nearest allied creature.

 

You can enchant and equip yourself and other characters.

 

Effects that manipulate your library, hand, creatures' stats, abilities, graveyard, etc. do not have to be changed for this to work. All these still exist within the context of your character's powers.

Lands represent connections to various places you've been. You can draw on their power for mana, or for other abilities based on their characteristics - rule their other abilities based on the above guidelines.

 

Perks

Landfall. Gain an extra action each turn to play lands and +1 to your land limit (you can still only play 1 land per turn unless otherwise specified).
Battlecry. Gain an extra action each turn for casting a creature spell or commanding a creature.
Prowess. Gain an extra action for casting noncreature spells or activating abilities and +1 to your hand limit.
Metalcraft. Artifacts you control count towards a new artifact limit rather than your nonland permanent limit.
Constellation. Enchantments you control count towards a new enchantment limit rather than your nonland permanent limit.
Swarm. Tokens you control count towards a new token limit rather than your nonland permanent limit.
Healer. Whenever you gain life, you may heal a creature or another character for that much instead.
Signature Spell. Begin each game with a noncreature spell from your deck of converted mana cost level or less in your command zone. You may cast it from your command zone at any time, and return it to your command zone from your graveyard after a short rest. You may change your signature spell upon discovering a new spell or in town.
Companion. Begin each game with a creature from your deck of converted mana cost level or less in your command zone. You may cast it from your command zone at any time, and it returns to your command zone from your graveyard after a short rest. You may change your companion creature upon discovering a new creature or in town.
Outlast. When your power fades, you may choose a noncreature spell or effect to keep active until the next short rest or when you next draw upon your power.
Recover. When your power fades, you may choose up to level cards in your hand, and begin with them in your hand next time you draw upon your power.
Scavenger. On a short rest, you may shuffle level cards of your choice from your graveyard into your library for each time you've taken this perk.
Champion. Step up the size of your hit dice. You cost 1 less generic mana to attach Auras or Equipment to.
Limited. You may play with the deck size of a level below you (above level 4, you may play with a 40-card deck, but must forego all additional Expert perks gained when you do so).
Mastery. You may upgrade an uncommon in your deck to a rare with a similar effect and color, or a rare in your deck to a mythic rare. GM determines similarity.
Lord of [Type]. Choose a creature type when you take this perk. You may command all creatures you control of that type with a single action.
Conspirator. Once per day for each time you've taken this perk, when you draw upon your power, you may do so with a Conspiracy in your command zone.
Graft. Choose a card in your deck. When you've drawn upon your power, you may put a copy of that card into your graveyard, and gain one of its keyword abilities until your power fades.
Cavalier. When you summon a creature, you may mount and ride it as part of the summoning. When you move, you may have your mount move instead, even if you've already commanded it this turn.
Dash. Once per combat, you may count yourself moving as entering the battlefield for purposes of abilities that trigger whenever a creature enters the battlefield. You may count yourself attacking for abilities that trigger whenever a creature attacks.

If you would be returned to your own hand, you're knocked prone and can't take actions besides crawling around until you stand up. If you would be sacrificed or otherwise die, you're reduced to 0 hit points, no save. If you would be exiled, you blink out of existence, and return when the effect specifies or when your power fades.

Permanents in the command zone are represented by being nearby your character; permanents in the command zone cost mana to pull into battle - whether to draw and charge a magic sword, or to sway an ally to fight at your command.

Expert Perks

Massive Army. You have no limit for controlling creatures, may spend one action to cast any number of creature spells, and may spend one action to command all creatures you control at once. Requires any two of Lord of [X], Battlecry, Swarm.
Unlimited Power. You have no limit for controlling noncreature permanents, including lands. Requires any two of Metalcraft, Constellation, Landfall, Swarm.
Spellstorm. You may spend one action to cast any number of noncreature spells (you still pay all costs for the spells). Requires Prowess.
Permanence. The effects of your noncreature spells don't dissipate until a long rest. Requires Outlast.
Commander. You can play a 40-life, 100-card singleton Commander deck; your companion creature can be any legendary creature. Requires Companion and enough cards in your collection to build a commander deck.
Epic. Once each turn, you may cast a copy of your signature spell from the command zone. You still pay all costs for it. Requires Signature Spell.
Eternal. At the end of each short rest, shuffle your graveyard back into your deck. Exiled cards remain in exile until your next long rest. Requires Scavenger.
Regenerator. At the end of your turn, you may have each of your damaged creatures regain HP equal to their toughness. Requires Healer.
Devotion. Add up to four copies of a legendary creature of your choice to your deck. Requires Mastery.
Replicate. Choose a card. You may have any number of that card in your deck.
Deckmaster. Add a copy of a banned card to your deck.
Latent Spark. A planeswalker takes notice of you. Add up to four copies of a planeswalker card to your deck. They eagerly await the awakening of your spark, so you can aid them on their travels through the multiverse. Activating a planeswalker's loyalty ability does not take an action - but calling upon planeswalking friends invites dangers from the rest of the Multiverse...

by Blues-Design

GLΔG: Extra Wizard Templates

Δ templates are an interesting GLOG phenomenon that I've wanted to work with for a while now. Caput Caprae describes them here as features earned through a diagetic achievement - rather than earning enough XP to make it to the next level, your character must prove their mettle through performing specific feats.

 

by Karl Kopinsky

 

These templates below are additions to deus ex parabola's excellent delta-template wizards. Read their post first; this builds off of their work. The numbers in parentheses are the template level; you need a level 1 template to be able to earn level 2 templates, and a level 2 template to earn level-3 templates. Power, greater power, and supreme power are level 0, 2, and 3 templates respectively (refer to deus's post). All wizards begin their magical endeavors by finding an object of Power, whether a dread grimoire, an arcane crystal, a contract with an entity, or anything else suitably dangerous to both their moral compass and immortal soul.

(1) Armor
    Wear a set of full-plate armor for a month. If you remove it, even to sleep or to bathe, you must start again.
    While you close your eyes and hold your breath, you are treated as if you are wearing plate armor until you open your eyes, breathe, or are touched skin-to-skin.
    With greater power, you can grant this protection to someone else within line of sight (at time of closing your eyes) instead of yourself. With supreme power, you can grant this protection to up to a dozen people.

 

(1) Familiar
Feed a piece of your body to a creature and sleep beside it each night for a month. If the creature dies or leaves you, start again.
The familiar becomes as intelligent as you, and you learn each others' languages. Any harm inflicted to the one of you is inflicted proportionally on the other as well; its aging slows to match yours.
With greater power you can see through its eyes when you close yours, and direct its body when you sleep. With supreme power you may change your familiar's size up to ten times in either direction at will.

(1) Hold
    Stand perfectly still for a full day. If you are moved or take any action more significant than a breath, you must start again.
    While you make eye contact with someone or something, you may prevent them from moving.
    With greater power, you can force them to mimic the moves you make (to the best of its ability).

(1) Illusion
    Dissect a sensory organ while still attached to a living creature and make meticulous notes. If you lose these notes, start again.
    You can create lifelike illusions within line of sight that fool the senses connected to the organs of the types of creature you've dissected (dissecting a human eye lets you fool the human eye, dissecting a cat's tongue lets you fool a cat's tongue, etc). These illusions are dispelled as soon as you are no longer within line of sight, or by another magician with power over illusions.
    With greater power, these illusions can persist for a year and a day. With supreme power, these illusions can persist indefinitely.

(1) Scrying
    Live on the highest floor of a tower for a month without descending. If you descend even one floor during this month, if the tower is destroyed, or if someone else sets foot on that floor of the tower, you must start again.
    When you close your eyes, you may observe the world as if you were at the top of that tower on a cloudless night with a full moon.
    With greater power, your scrying-sight is as that of a hawk's, and you can detect magic by sight. With supreme power, you may act as if you were at the top of that tower, and wield your powers within your scrying-sight.

(1) Summoning
    Learn a being's true name and inscribe it on your object of Power in your own blood. These are often recorded in ancient grimoires, on other magicians' objects of Power, and without fail the inside of the being's skull. If their true name is removed from your object of Power, or if they learn your true name, you lose all power over them.
    By inscribing a circle in your own blood and speaking the true name aloud three times, you may summon the being into that circle. It will return to whence it came once the circle is broken.
    With greater power, whenever you speak its true name, you can cause it immense pain or pleasure.

(2) Apprenticeship
    Take on a hapless fool with no other prospects in life and no magical aptitude of their own as an apprentice. Provide them with an appropriate object of Power, and induct them into the ways of wizardry. If they ever gain greater power (or supreme power), strike out on their own, or strike at you in anger, you must start again.
    Whenever an apprentice of yours gains a power, you gain it as well for as long as they are your apprentice.
    With greater power, you may take on multiple apprentices, and they cannot strike at you in anger without forfeiting their own magical abilities. With supreme power, your apprentices may gain greater power and take on apprentices of their own without leaving the fold. You gain access to all powers learned by your apprentices' apprentices as well.

(2) Enchantment
    Learn the blacksmith's art from a master smith, living under their tutelage for a year and a day. Once you have completed your training, if they ever smith another item, they gain this template and you lose it.
    Items that you smith function twice as well as their mundane counterparts; lifting double the weight, moving double the speed, inflicting wounds twice as terrible, preventing twice the bodily harm.
    With greater power, invert these items' bonuses when wielded against you (double damage becomes half damage). With supreme power, these items can be up to five times as powerful.

(2) Necromancy
    Be buried alive, and convince others of your demise. If all those convinced of your death learn the truth of the matter, you must do this again.
    With access to a corpse with an intact skull, dead within the last year and a day (though it need not be humanoid), you may raise it as a walking corpse or as a spirit. Walking corpses carry out your bidding, and can obey simple instructions of three words or less. Spirits can be spoken with as they were in life, but require a sacrifice in order to speak with more than once. These undead are dispelled once their skulls are destroyed, at your bidding, or once they are older than a year and a day. You can raise as many undead as there are living people who believe you are dead.
    With greater power, you can raise dead deceased any amount of time ago, and they can follow a short phrase of instructions. With supreme power, you may raise a spirit to inhabit its corpse, and so they will obey instructions as complex as they could in life, and will last eternally unless otherwise damaged.

(2) Precognition
    Blind and deafen yourself for a month. If you see or hear anything before the month ends, you must start again.
    Write down a course of action and sleep with it beside you. When you sleep, you can see an incomplete but accurate account of what would occur within the next day if you take that action.
    With greater power, the time span extends to a month, and you can ask about the actions of other individuals as well. With supreme power, the time span extends to a year, and you can ask about the actions of organizations and nations.

(3) Life Eternal
    Construct a dungeon and place your object of Power at its heart. If your object of power is removed, you must return it to the heart of the dungeon or start again with a new dungeon.
    You cannot die of disease, old age, or mundane accident. You retain access to the magic granted by your object of Power while it remains at the heart of your dungeon.

(3) Mind Control
    Drive one person mad with desire, another mad with hate, another mad with grief, another mad with ecstasy, another mad with vanity, and another mad with duty. Take meticulous notes. If you lose these notes, start again.
    When you speak, you cannot be ignored by anyone within earshot, and one-word instructions will be followed reflexively until the person actively tries to stop themself (with a successful save).
    With greater power, your instructions can be up to a sentence long, and each time someone follows one of your instructions willingly, breaking free of your control the next time will requires an additional save. With supreme power, anything with a mind is susceptible to your influence (including but not limited to animals and spirits), and your control can be conveyed through the written word.

(3) Weather
    Visit and spend a month recording detailed notes regarding each of the highest peak you know of, the hottest desert you know of, the stormiest sea you know of, and the coldest glacier you know of. If you lose these notes, start again.
    By marking out a regular shape with pure-silver effigies of your object of Power (each will cost about as much as equipping a knight in full plate and warhorse), you can create and dispel winds and clouds within that shape in realms lower than the peak, colder than the desert, calmer than that sea, and warmer than that glacier. All weather effects dissipate if an effigy is moved; however, the effigies cannot be moved or harmed by weather created this way.
    With greater power, you can create and dispel storms of types common to the region. With supreme power, you can cause storms of types unheard of in the region, as well as catastrophic weather events like hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, or meteor impacts.

Factions in the Survival Paradigm

GATES Market Index EKAA +12, ASNZ -15, SWAI +59, QZXX -132, GEM -1750 ACTIVE CAT2+ KAIJU USA GIGANT SURGE (CAT4 Houston TX), STRIKER CENTIPEDE (CAT2 Kansas City MI), WYRM EXILE (CAT3 Portland OR), HAMMER EMERGENT (CAT4 San Diego CA)

 

NEW YORK, 2PM EST (BREAKING) Renegade pilots allegedly stand down during dual Category-4 events GIGANT SURGE and HAMMER EMERGENT as kaiju attempt to breach prototype General Engineering Materials (GEM -1750) bunkers. GEM spokespeople are reportedly requesting TacNet (QZXX -132) provide identifying information for all pilots refusing to engage, citing "attempted stock manipulation" on the eve of the official rollout of GEM's new CONDOR armored real estate project - of which the San Diego and Houston bunkers were the flagship models.

 

- - - 

In any city under the Survival Paradigm, there are always two simultaneous crises. One is the obvious - kaiju. Each worse than the last, always barely outscraping your response capacity in some novel and horrible way. The toll is always manageable (for those in power) and devastating (for you).

The other crisis is the ever-hungry jaws of disaster capital, which in this world of perpetual disaster has become the primary financial engine of the planet. Investors always have a scheme, and they aren't just looking to make pennies on the dollar here - they're playing for all the marbles. If they're a big player, they want to kneecap another big player and become even bigger. If they're small-time, they want this plan to break them into the big time. And they're willing to break anything in their way - the planet; the city; your friends; you.

GMs should have two simultaneous and intertwined plots going on. One involves the kaiju and their escalating threat; perhaps a new development to protect the city, or a way to make the kaiju think twice about next time. The other involves the hedge fund managers, venture capitalists, and megacorporate interests playing with the city like a connect-four board.
 

This isn't a game about shadowy conspiracies like SEELE or the Illuminati controlling the world from behind the scenes. While the specific details of any corporate plan will be obscure, financially obtuse, and most certainly difficult to stop, the powers that be rely on sheer scale to protect themselves - not secrecy. The people destroying the world have names, addresses, Twitter accounts, and public IPOs. And they all hate each other, but not enough to stop punching the little guys (you) in the process.

 

All the information about their schemes is public, especially if you know where to look. Journalists have made careers investigating these stories, then lost their careers and lives breaking these stories. Or, more often, they've kept their careers, and no one's cared. Nestle keeps on using child slaves, Coca-Cola keeps on hiring death squads to murder dissidents, everyone and their mother has a tax shelter on a private island, and you add a few more atrocities to what you know about the world. There's no New World Order. There's the same awful world order as always, just spinning closer to destruction than ever before, while a handful of fuckers loudly flaunt how rich they've gotten by destroying it.

 

by Eddie Mendoza

GATES Market Index EKAA +10, ASNZ -12, SWAI +63, QZXX -251, GEM -2931 ACTIVE CAT2+ KAIJU USA STRIKER CENTIPEDE (CAT2/Kansas City MI), WYRM EXILE (CAT3/Portland OR), ANGEL SIEGE (CAT2/Miami FL)

 

HOUSTON, 2:30PM CST GIGANT SURGE event resolved (estimated casualties 9000).

SAN DIEGO,  3:45PM PST HAMMER EMERGENT event resolved (estimated casualties 15000).

NEW YORK, 6:45PM EST (UPDATE) Both prototype luxury CONDOR bunkers have been destroyed, after which point pilots on the ground handily dispatched both kaiju with minimal casualties. Collaboration between pilots has been alleged by both GEM and TacNet, the latter of whom has released all personal information on pilots connected to their command network during the engagements to the SEC under the "GameStop Law" of 2021 that allows retaliatory action by endangered corporations on charges of suspected collective stock manipulation. Commensurate federal investigations have been opened... (DEVELOPING)

 

- - -

 

The Survival Paradigm is an international treaty, signed in 202X as a response to the rapidly escalating threat of kaiju attacks. It formally acts as a statement of intent to maintain the existence of humanity as a species and organized global civilization, declaring a global state of emergency and ceasefire on all human wars until the cessation of the Kaiju Crisis. To this end, it establishes a variety of international councils to manage resources and ensure cooperation of various nation-state and corporate actors.

 

Paradigm Coordination Council

Coordination is the main body of the Survival Paradigm, as a 15-member security council of major stakeholders in global defense. Five seats are permanently held by nation-states, representing almost 4 billion people worldwide - the United States of America, the People's Republic of China, the Republic of India, the Federative Republic of Brazil, and a composite delegation representing the European Union as a single actor. Five more are permanently reserved for leading corporations in the mechtech sector; while these initially were rotating seats, they have stabilized within the past decade to be held by the GATES: General Engineering Materials, Aerospace Northern, TacNet, Eka, and Stormwatch. The final five seats are yearly rotating seats held by either nation-states or corporations, recently trending towards a 2/3 split.

 

The Coordination Council chooses priorities for research and tactical response, declares regional and continental states of heightened emergency for high-category kaiju, and intercedes in humanitarian crises to resolve them to the benefit of the Paradigm. Deployment of paranuclear weapons must be authorized by the PCC, due to their vast collateral damage costs and unknown effects on the environment, collective subconscious, and/or fabric of reality.

 

Warmer World, Colder War (email newsletter, 202X)

...rumors persist that the Russian Federation was cut out of the PCC's permanent seats by the demand of the United States, who refused to sign onto the Paradigm unless they crippled the political power of their longtime rival...

Minimum Viable Path to GATEhood? (excerpt from Financial Times article, 203X)

...corporations constantly vie for the prestige and power of becoming the "Sixth GATE", and startup pitches often include their path to GATEhood through gaining a seat on the PCC...

Paradigm Development Council 

Development is the research and finance arm of the Paradigm. Nation-state signatories pay tithes into a collective Paradigm defense fund, which is then distributed by grants to a variety of research conglomerates and promising mechtech corporations. After the dissolution or repurposing of global militaries, the PDC gained access to the military budgets of its signatory nations - and through the PDC, so did big business.

 

The PDC is the primary source of income for the GATES and the rest of the mechtech sector. While all have diversified into some combination of national and municipal defense contracts, consumer products, corporate partnerships, and land rents, PDC funds are the kingmakers of the corporate world. As such, council membership is fully infested with lobbyists performing regulatory capture on the largest scale. Boondoggles and moonshots can be fully funded in a matter of days, if you just know the right people and convince the giant pots of money that your project will be the one that can raise their bottom line.

 

Decades After Dissolution, NATO Remains Global Powerhouse (excerpt from Huffington Post article, 203X)

...despite this, it does not go unnoticed that 4 of the 5 GATES are North American, and the 5th (GEM) is based in the EU. This gives the former NATO countries outsize power in the Paradigm, and the accompanying preferential response capabilities and resource distribution. The interests of NATO remain the interests of global capital...

 

Public-Private Partnerships: Public Protection or Protection Rackets? (excerpt from political science undergraduate thesis paper, class of 202X)

...the United States, Canada, UK, and Australia all operate under the TacNet model of distributed kaiju defense. This model - full privatization - is incredibly rare in the rest of the world. China and Russia (among others) relegate kaiju defense to their national militaries, deploying within conventional command hierarchies and providing salaries and benefits to their pilots. The European Union, India, and Brazil follow a combined-arms approach, with militaries hiring private mech contractors to execute anti-kaiju operations within a particular region or city. In this essay I will...

 

Paradigm Adjudication Council

Adjudication was established as a judicial body for mediating conflict between governments and corporations without resorting to wasteful military engagements. Low-level disputes are mediated through regional judiciaries, drawing legal personnel from existing systems. Higher-level disputes are settled through courts with between three and nine judges.

When a dispute cannot be settled out of court and judges believe that a decision in favor of either party will jeopardize the stability and impartiality of Adjudication, they have reintroduced the controversial practice of trial by combat. Each party nominates a mech pilot to fight in their stead, and the first to forcibly deactivate their opponent in the arena is declared victorious and given preferential terms by the judges. These gladiatorial trials have become high entertainment - prosecutors and defenders on the international circuit are equally experts in the field of law and the field of battle. Because these conflicts are between nations and corporations, they do not lack for funding, and trials-by-combat are as often expos for new mechtech as they are attempts to enforce one's will on the international scene.

Imperial Legacies and the Truth About "Pirates" (clipping from anarchist zine)

While all human wars are under "indefinite ceasefire", imperial paramilitary operations continue as private military contractors make their reputations and fortunes protecting supply lines. Hired ostensibly to prevent kaiju interference and protect local population centers, they don't discriminate between kaiju and human "pirates" - and often deem kaiju attacks too dangerous for their pilots, forcing underequipped and desperate local fireteams into the meat grinder in their stead.

 

The terminology of "pirates" is also a misnomer - these supply lines are just the most recent evolution of extractive plunder from the colonies to the imperial core, and anyone striking back against the continued imperial looting of already-impoverished nations are executed for Paradigm violations with extreme prejudice...

Suited Up: Inside the Lives of the Modern Gladiators (excerpt from dust jacket)

...contains exclusive interviews with both the prosecution and the surviving family members of the defense in the infamous VOID CHIMERA reparations trial, chronicling the extensive blackmail, bribery, and sabotage on both sides leading up to the climactic confrontation and its interruption by the Category-4 kaiju FUSION RIPPER...

by Vu Hoang Hiep

GATES Market Index EKAA +663, ASNZ -10, SWAI +92, QZXX [TRADING FROZEN], GEM [TRADING FROZEN] ACTIVE CAT2+ KAIJU USA ANGEL SIEGE (CAT2/Miami FL), VECTOR ARTIFICE (CAT2/Anchorage AK)

 

NEW YORK, 8:00PM EST (UPDATE) Trading in both TacNet and GEM stock has been frozen to "preserve the integrity of public defense". CEOs of all five GATES have given statements to the media in full support of maximum federal penalties for all pilots who allegedly "abandoned their duties as defenders of the American people". GEM has suspended its CONDOR project pending the results of its subsequent lawsuits. TacNet has deactivated all suspected collaborating pilots' TacNet accounts, and is reportedly hiring high-profile private contractors from firms like Eka (EKAA, +663) to supplement tactical demands in relevant metropolitan areas. Eka is notable for its highly polished social media presence, eccentric billionaire founder Jan Tomas, and high-collateral-damage combat record.

 

- - -

To populate a city with factions for a Survival Paradigm campaign, roll 1d6, 1d8, 1d10, 1d12, and 1d20 on the following table. If you roll the same faction twice, there's an internal conflict boiling over where people are forced to take sides - whether between different branches, feuding executives, or the workers and management. Then, roll 2 Relations for each faction to see who they're interacting with and what they're trying to do.

 

If two factions are related to each other in seemingly conflicting ways, remember that the factions are made of lots of people and none have perfect information on the other's goals. Wheels within wheels ceaselessly turn, grinding us all to dust. If one faction rolls that it's trying to undermine or defraud itself, there's internal conflict - someone is trying to pull a fast one on their own people.

Factions (d20)

1. General Engineering Materials (GEM). Controls entry-level mech fabrication, Eschaton core mass production, kaiju corpse harvesting and processing, TacNet's pilot supply contracts. Constructs millions of modular mech chassis a year. Facilities include factories, kaiju processing plants, prototype subscription-service bunkers. Wants to expand into real-estate - specifically launch bays and bunker construction - to vertically integrate all infrastructure in the urban battle space.

 

2. Aerospace Northern. Formerly Lockheed, Boeing, Northrop; forced to merge after Paradigm forced radical reinvestment from NATO militaries into mech sector. Controls advanced mechtech development, military holdover patents and facilities, elite mercenary supply contracts. Focuses on bleeding-edge prototype tech, including paranuclear weapons, Wants to be as big as it was when it was the primary contractor for the United States military, instead of just one of five.

 

3. TacNet. "Uber for mech pilots". Controls the app, uses vast profits to contract GEM for mech manufacturing and Stormwatch for algorithmic kaiju event prediction. Vital nexus of capital in the mechtech sector, and the de-facto tactical coordinator in all United States combat zones. Wants the status quo to stay stable as long as possible, actively kneecaps corporations trying to rise to the GATES. Has heavily-fortified tactical command bunkers in all major metropolitan areas, and invests in launch bays for rapid response (renting a berth isn't cheap).

 

4. Eka. Mercenary company turned bespoke mech manufacturer, media darling with incredible PR department and army of online stans. Deploys their own fireteams to prove their proprietary "kaiju-inspired" tech in real combat conditions; high-casuality engagements are nevertheless flashy and impressive tech demos. Jan Tomas, controversial and high-profile entrepreneur founder, makes constant media appearances to keep Eka in the media - made his initial fortune in the crash after the first kaiju emergences. Isn't profitable; kept afloat by vast VC streams and needs those flows to remain intact.

 

5. Stormwatch. Controls the largest server clusters in the world, manages orbital infrastructure. Provides hosting for TacNet, develops/deploys/operates the advance kaiju warning satellite network, space launch systems, AI predictive systems, paranuclear orbital weapons platforms. All this tech comes out of their R&D wing, STAR Group (STormwatch Advanced Research). Funnel promising student projects directly from university campuses into STAR, providing great benefits and vast resources in exchange for exclusive rights.

 

6. Municipal government. In the end, it always comes back to the city. State capacity handles everything it's too difficult or not glamorous enough to privatize; like roads and sewer systems and power lines. Depending on who's in power, they might be trying to sell off even the unprofitable parts, or trying to claw back a little of the capacity their predecessors divested in order to provide for the citizenry. Either way, the mayor's office is a vital chokepoint for anyone trying to ensure corporate dominance - with the stroke of a pen, they can give you the keys to the city, and send your rivals packing.

 

7. Startup. Galvanized by low interest rates, sovereign wealth funds, hedge funds, and the PDC pour trillions of dollars into every idea that seems vaguely promising or sounds good on paper. The key buzzwords to make a cool billion change every few months, and the business plans seem to only get stranger over time. Attitude and aesthetic are what gets a startup off the ground, but don't make profit - not that any of their founders seem to understand.

 

8. Hedge fund. These piles of money exist only to grow as quickly as possible. Their managers make shrewd investments in companies they believe are the future - but are quick to hang them out to dry if it becomes apparent their money will be wasted. Slick, greasy, willing to do anything to keep their investments safe and their dividends flowing in. It's not like anyone will regulate them for making an end-run around such petty things as "legality" - they have the money to field the best corporate lawyers (and Adjudication gladiators) available.

 

9. Real estate magnate. Land is the ultimate source of capital. Everyone needs to sleep somewhere; every corporation needs physical space for factories and server farms and offices; every government needs space for bureaucrats. The Kaiju Era has made real estate a riskier proposition, what with giant monsters shredding entire neighborhoods, but this just means that landlords have grown more cutthroat and brutal. Rents on shielded kaiju-safe condos with integrated bunkers are sky-high, and the slums that grow around devastated areas are the only option for anyone who's lost their home to a kaiju - a monopoly that slumlords are more than happy to exploit.

 

10. Local politician. Every political party has a political opponent, whether the established Party-in-Opposition or a political outsider rising on the strength of their demagoguery. Opposition politicians have an agenda, don't like the way things are being run, and are willing to make waves to get their way - especially if they have an extensive war chest from interested parties.

 

11. Mercenary company. There's strength in numbers. The alternative to TacNet, mercenary pilots are contracted by states and corporations with money to burn and hard targets that need an extra layer of defense. PMCs differ in their symbology, tactics, tolerance for collateral damage, and PR history - but if a company wants to survive, they need a certain ruthlessness that refuses to consider humanitarian goals when they conflict with their mission.

 

12. Criminal syndicate. Deprivation creates a demand for smuggling; hard times create a demand for illicit substances; a dangerous world creates an opening for protection rackets. Syndicates crop up everywhere, operating under the radar with impunity in a world that has much bigger fish to fry. They might be less exploitative, on net, than the corporations. They might follow some sort of code. There's a million reasons to get involved with criminals - but it always paints a target on your back, and there's no honor among thieves.

 

13. Kaiju Responders' Union. Unionized with the air line pilots association, KRU-ALPA (under the AFL-CIO) is the premier mech pilot union in the states. Naturally, TacNet hates them, as do the rest of the GATES and their regulatory capture stranglehold on mechtech development and production. Despite the vast array of unstoppable forces deployed against them both on and off the battlefield, they've won some important concessions: mandatory corp-funded search and recovery services for KRU-registered pilots after battles, free chassis repairs to original specs, and corporate coverage of 50% of pilot funeral expenses.

 

Most pilots aren't KRU. They've been scared out of it by TacNet's marketing and higher bounties for non-union pilots, or they're gunning for GATES sponsorships (few make it, but those who do are rock stars), or they've joined a mercenary corp for lucrative state contracts. KRU also tends to get the brunt of media blame when ops go very, very wrong.

 

14. Military remnants. The dissolution of military apparatuses under the Paradigm and mass reallocation of state/manufacturing capacity to kaiju defense left a whole lot of material and disgruntled soldiers behind. While many retrained to become mech pilots or cops, military bases are covered in old hardware that still works just fine. Whether arms dealers, local mercenaries, criminal syndicates in their own right, or political extremists demanding a return to the good old pre-Paradigm days of imperial conquest and overseas slaughter, ex-military troops are a wild card searching for a home in a world that deems them obsolete.

 

15. Paradigm Coordination Council. Coordination steps in when an area is under increasing kaiju threat; sending military officials to work with local stakeholders and prepare a large-scale defense plan that ensures the threat is neutralized with minimal damage to Paradigm signatories. Signatories include: corporations and governments. Notable exclusions: people. High-risk neighborhoods are designated "ablative buffer zones", entire fireteams of pilots are thrown at the threat as acceptable casualties for reconnaissance missions, the brutal utilitarian calculus of necropolitics deems some lives to matter and some to not. Property is protected. You are not. And the threat is approaching regardless.

 

16. Paradigm Development Council. Development typically acts on an international scale, but local municipalities are useful testbeds for new initiatives and technology. If there's a big contract in the offering, they often turn cities into free-enterprise zones where each bidding corporation tries their hand at a proof-of-concept pilot program for several months. Whoever's most effective gets the contract - and everyone who gets shafted has to live with it.

 

17. Paradigm Adjudication Council. They have a presence everywhere there's likely to be skirmishes between corporate and state interests. While local branches try to stay under the radar, every so often a major case emerges that everyone knows will end in trial by combat. When the media starts baying for blood, they ramp up the coverage, and the trial's progress becomes a daily news update.

 

18. Rapture Futures, LLC. A research group approaching the current eschaton from a divinity studies perspective. Surprisingly widespread, their research projects investigate the strange side-effects of the Eschaton Core - and while they were founded by highly conservative think-tanks, recent sweeping changes in leadership have opened up opportunities for progressive researchers to make waves. Notably not funded by the PDC, but well-funded regardless.

 

19. University. The Kaiju Era has opened up a universe of questions, and entire fields of science are mutating to approach them. Department heads and enterprising graduate students can get a lot of money if they play their cards right, and sometimes they ask the right questions to get world-shaking answers. Corporations are always scouting for the best-and-brightest, and students often end up taking on pilot gigs on the side to make rent.

 

20. Cult. Between the Kaiju Era Neo-Gnostics, the Church of the Sainted Pilot, kaiju worshippers, the Techno-Rationalists, prosperity gospel evangelists, Marxist-Calvinists, and devotees of the American civil religion (praise the Checks and the Balances and the Commander in Chief!), there's a million burgeoning sects scraping the symbolism of these endless end-times for believers and tithes. They might be trying to build a new world, or might just prophesize the end of this one - but they have a way of growing and metastasizing and bubbling over at the worst possible moment.

 

Relations (d10)

1. Undercutting...

2. Pushing ... out of the area

3. Contracted by...

4. Advertising against...

5. Trying to acquire...

6. Allied with...

7. Blackmailing...

8. Defrauding...

9. Bribing...

10. Funding...